Autostrade sets aside USD 572 mn investment for Genoa bridge collapse recovery

On Tuesday, a 200-meter section of the Morandi viaduct gave way in busy lunchtime traffic, killing at least 38 people and severing the city's mainland link with southern France.

Italian toll-road operator Autostrade per l'Italia, which managed a bridge that collapsed in Genoa this week, has set aside about 500 million euros ($572 million) worth of investment for the port city to help it recover from the disaster.

On Tuesday, a 200-meter section of the Morandi viaduct gave way in busy lunchtime traffic, killing at least 38 people and severing the city's mainland link with southern France.

Autostrade Chief Executive Giovanni Castellucci, holding the firm's first news conference since the disaster, voiced condolences for the victims on Saturday.

When asked to give an unreserved apology for the collapse, he said: "Apologies and responsibilities are things that are connected. You apologize if you feel you are responsible ...."

Castellucci added that he would wait for official investigators to determine responsibility for the collapse.

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